Sorting-table.



J. T. COWLEY & E. G. THOMAS.

SORTING TABLE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.9,1906.

7 Mr S mm a LIU J. T. COWLEY dz E. G. THOMAS.

SOETING TABLE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.9,1906.

Patented May 17, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

. jectin UNITED STATES PATENT ()FF JAMES T. COWLEY AND EDWARD G. I THOMAS. OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, AS-

SIGNORS T0 LAMSON CONSOLIDATED STORE SERVICE COMPANY, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SORTI N G-TABLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patent-ed May 1'7, 1910.

'1 '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known \thatwe, JAuns T. CowLnv a'nd Enwano (l. Tnmus, of Boston, in the county of Sutl'blk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in. Sorting-Tables, of which the following is a specification.

()nr invention is an improvement in sorting tables by :the aid of which tickets or other objects-may be separated into classes.

The object of our invention is to provide a sorting table, at which several operators may work at once with accuracy and to provide for the collection of the classes separated by the Several operators as they leave the table. By the use of our invention this may be accomplished l inmuch less time than has been possible he -etofore.

Referring to the drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of the sorting table; Fig. 2 a side elevation; Fig. 3 is a. detail of'the separating strips over the traveling belt to be hereinafter described; Fig. 4 is a partial longitudinal section through Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a section on line 5 5 of Fig. 4; Fig. (i is an enlarged view of the controlling mechanism; and Fig. 7 is a plan view of the controlling mechanism.

The top of the table is divided into groups of compartments represented by A. U, l), E, l etc. each group in charge of an operator. W e have shown six groups but the number may be limited to the number of 0 )erators-dcsircd to work at one table. loach group consists of a number of compartments. In this case there are sixty-four. This, however, is immaterial. The number of compartments may be sufiicient to provide for the several classes into which the tickets are to be se iarated.

The divisions o the compartments are preferabl made of sheet metal, V-shaped or somewhat pointed at the top, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The transverse walls (31' are secured to the sides H of the table. Profrom'the walls G, and fixed to them are t e longitudinal dividing walls H. The walls H are levelon the top with the walls G, but do not extend much more than half way tothe bottom of said walls G. Beneath the walls G are the shafts K having hearings in the sides of the table. Fixed to these shafts are the shelves K forming in the pulley l. is the receiving box 0.

their normal or closed position the bottoms of the compartments. Along the shelves K at points directly under the walls H. are fixed the lower dividing walls K Through a greater portion-of the center of the walls K and through the shelves K, and directly beneath them are the slots K for the purposes hereinafter set forth. At a suitable distance below the shelves is the continually of screws J which may be set up to take any stretch in the strips (see Fig. 3).

'At the delivering end of the table under H has divisions to corrcs 'iond with the longitudinal divisions of the table. We will describe one row of the com iartments in our table,

taking for example row 2 of group as these compartments are all exactly alike. One end of the shaft I\' projects from the side of the table and carries fixed to the end an arm K*. The outer end of this arm is pivoted to the rod S. l lqually spaced along this rod are hinged the corresponding arms K connecting the shafts K of row 2 in each of the groups of compartments so that when the rod is allowed to move in the direction of the delivering end of the table, the shelf K in row 2 of every group will be brought into the position shown in Fig. 4, row 2.. This view shows the connecting rods in the dotted lines, the rod S at this time being in the act of discharging 'the tickets from the compartments, and the rod S holding the shelf in its closed or normal position. The slot K is rovided in the shelf the wall K to a low the shelf to turn down lower than the top of the dividing strip J The dividing strip is shown in Fig. 4, row 2 passing through the slot in the shelf an wall.

The connecting rods S, S etc. are operated by the following means: The rods ex- 106 tend t rough the bearing S and are held against the cam disks of the cam U by the spring S". The cam U is mounted on the shaft Z having bearings in both sides of the table (see Figs. (Sand 7). A hand lever T is 5 suitably pivoted and supported at T and carries two pawls T which engage opposlte sidesof the ratchet 'l". The motion of the lever T is limited by stops T and T and the arrangement of the pawls is such '10 that. motion from stops T to 'l" of the lever T and the reverse motion from stops '1 to T will each move the ratchet T? in the same direction, the sum of the two motions being equal to that part offa complete rotation 5 corresponding to the number of rows of hoppers in a group, in this case oneeighth. The cam U has slots U, U, etc. adapted to cooperate respectively with rods S S etc. This cam maybe composed of eight disks,

each disk having a slot corresponding to the slot U each slot being set one-eighth of a revolution ahead of the one before it,.as shown in dotted lines Fig. 6. By this arrangement when the lever T is thrown against the stop T, it will allow one of the rods as S to 'drop into the slot U and remain until the lever'T is returned against the stop T when the rod S will be returned to its original position.

0 It is evident that at every double move ment of the lever T one of the rods will be actuated and'through this action one row of cbmpartments will deposit the tickets contained therein on to the belt L which will 5 deposit them in a box 0. This will enable the operator in charge of the delivering end of the table to successively collect the tickets in the corresponding rows of the different groups. After one complete revolution 0 of; e cam T this operation may be repeated when ver the operator desires to receive the ticket: which have been collected during the interim. r Having thus described the nature of our 5 invention and set forth a .construction emboiglying the same, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

3,1. In an apparatus of the character de- 0 scribed, a substation or hopper adapted to receive articles, a central station adaptedto receive articles deposited in said sub station, means under the control of said central station for releasing or discharging articles 5 'fromsaid sub station or hopper, and conveying means adapted to receive aud convey said articles to said central station.

2.1m an apparatus of the character described a series of compartments or hoppers adapted to receive articles, a central station or receptacle adapted'to receive articles from said compartments, means 10-.

cated at and under the control of said cen tral station for releasing the articles from said compartments or hoppers, and means for releasing the for receiving and conveying said articles from said compartments to said central station. v

3. In an apparatus of the character described, 21 despatching station adapted to receive articles, a receiving station, means under the control of said receiving station articles from said despatching station, and conveyin means adapted to receive and convey articjes from said despatching station to said receiving station.

4. In an apparatus of the character described, a central or receiving station, a series of groups of sub stations, corresponding hoppers or compartmelds located at each. of said sub stations and adapted to receive articles, means located at and under the control of said central or receiving station and adapted to simultaneously discharge or release the contents of the corresponding hoppers or compartments at the several sub stations, and conveying means adapted to -receive and conveysaid discharged articles to said receiving station.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, a central or receiving station divided into compartments, a series of substations each consisting of transverse and longitudinally corresponding hoppers or compartments adapted to receive. articles,

manually operated means at said central orreceiving station for discharging or releasing said articles from'corrcsponding hoppers-or compartments at all of said sub-stations, and conveying means adapted to receive, convey and discharge said articles into a corresponding compartment at'said central or receiving station.

(3. In an apparatus ofithe character described, a' central or receiving station divided into compartments, :1 series of sub-- stations each consisting of transverse and longitudinally corresponding hoppers or compartments adapted to l'CCClVO articles, manually operated means at said central or recelvlng station for -'discharging or releasing said articles from corresponding hoppers or compartments at all of said substations, conveying means adapted to receive and convey said articles to said central or receiving station and means for guiding said articles from said conveying means into a corrcslipnding compartment in said receiving station. V

T. In a sort ing or separating table, a main or receiving station consisting of transverse eompartmcnts,a series of groupsof sub-compartments or hoppcrsladapted to receive articles, the compartments Ill each of said groups being transverse and longitudinally corresponding, mechanism underihe con-.-

trol of said main or receiving statipzrand adapted to discharge or release the articles from corresponding compartments or hoppersof each of said groups, an endless belt adapted to receive and convey said articles,

means for driving said belt, and means for guiding said articles from said belt into a corresponding compartment at. said receiving station.

8. In an apparatus of the character described, a central or receiving station con- SlStlll" of transverse COIIIIJillllllOlliS, a series ofsuhstations' each'station consistin" -of a group 'of hoppers or compartments adapted to receive articles the compartments in each of said groups being transversely and lon itudinally corresponding, means under t e control of said central or receiving station for discharging or rcleas1ng the articles day of July A; D. 1906.

JAMES T. COWLEY. EDVVARD' G. THOMAS. \Vitnesses:

'11. A. Evans,

EDGAR S. MAIN.

two subscribing witnesses, this thirtymfirst 

